One of the biggest things that holds people back as storytellers is fears they have related to public speaking in general. These fears are understandable, but at some point you have to move past them and learn how to push through it.
A common fear that many people face when it comes to public speaking in general is a disinterested audience. Not only is it awkward to have to deal with a crowd that doesn’t care, but it can also be genuinely disheartening.
When you think you’re giving a great performance and telling a great story, but look into the audience and see people leaving or yawning, it can be a massive blow to your ego and can make you reconsider everything you’re doing.
First, you need to consider the logical possibilities behind people’s actions. Depending on the time of day, people might be leaving to go deal with important responsibilities, while others might be yawning because they’re tired rather than bored.
This can help make it feel like less of a personal attack, which is where a bulk of the fear comes from. Generally speaking, if you take it personally, it’ll hurt you emotionally. If you think about it logically, it won’t hurt you at all.
You also shouldn’t be too hasty to dismiss audience reactions, though.
Sometimes it can be an important indicator that you’re not performing as you ought to be, and can be a sign to change some things up in your story.
Another fear that’s very common in storytelling specifically is getting choked up.
A lot of times, stories you tell will be about events in your life that were very tragic or traumatic, and it can bring back a lot of emotion when you talk about it.
Getting choked up is normal and nothing to be outwardly ashamed of, as long as you’re not full-blown crying up on stage. It shows the audience that you’re being genuine and vulnerable, and can really help emphasize your story.
As you continue to tell your stories more and more, you’ll choke up less and less since you’re getting used to telling it. This does take time and practice, though, so don’t expect it to change overnight.
Sometimes you also just have to accept the fact that there might be something that goes wrong in your story, or you’ll just happen to get a bad audience. These things are bound to happen if you spend enough time speaking publicly.
Even though there are things you can do to help prevent it, it’s inevitable that at some point you’ll have a rough crowd. Being afraid or nervous about it isn’t going to help, and in fact, it’ll only make things worse.
But here’s the most important takeaway when facing your fears as a storyteller – use them! Be open about them. They will humanize you and make you more relatable and, after all, isn’t that the main purpose of storytelling?
Vulnerability Is an Important Ingredient in Effective Storytelling
For some people, it’s a show of weakness, and for others, it’s a social nightmare to do this up on stage, but being vulnerable and even a bit emotional is something that can make your stories feel more genuine and have a greater impact on the audience.
Being vulnerable means sharing stories and experiences that really did hurt you or otherwise greatly affect you to the point where it made you emotional. Bringing up these old stories can bring those same emotions along, and you shouldn’t back away from it.
A lot of people consider it to be a massive mistake to get emotional either in front of an audience or in a one-on-one. While this can be the case sometimes, it’s usually actually to your benefit as a storyteller.
You won’t want to be vulnerable with certain people. Some people, especially older guys in business settings, really don’t care for you to be showing a lot of emotion with them, and this might hinder you more than help you.
However, with younger audiences and young adults, it can make a major difference in their response to your story. Being able to see how something affected you is so greatly important for them as audience members.
It’s crucial to never get too emotional when you’re being vulnerable, but rather you need to find that sweet spot. A little bit of tearing up or choking up is fine, but if it gets to a point where you’re weeping, it’s gone too far.
You also shouldn’t dwell on this vulnerability for too long. Nobody in the audience wants to sit through minutes of you moping about whatever happened. Instead, use it to play off of a dramatic moment in order to lead into a happier time.
When you start to learn to become more vulnerable with your audience, you can really speak from the heart when telling your stories, and people can really subconsciously tell that you’re being genuine when you’re being vulnerable.
Many people have a profound respect and appreciation for you when you’re vulnerable with them, because it’s often a sign of trust. In return, they might be willing to be more transparent and open with you as well.
Knowing when and how to be vulnerable with your audience can step up your storytelling skills greatly, and you’ll be able to get a deeper emotional reaction out of them and showcase your own feelings easily.
